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FrozenGate by Avery

CNI no longer exporting >5mW?

bloompyle

bloompyle

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Apr 26, 2010
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I was asking CNi about a few lasers, they gave me prices on some, superb.

Then I asked about others, and I got this in reply:

CNI said:
Thanks for your email, it is my great honor to provide you service.
Now the more than 5mW output power portable laser is not allowed to export to USA, will you consider to buy the lab laser which fit for FDA standard.

Please contact me without any hesitation if you need any help.
Click to expand...

What's very strange about this, is 2 days ago, they gave me a price on 200mW dual WL hosts. I was looking for combined BG, and RB portables. They gladly gave me quotes on those. However, after asking about portable modules, they gave me this in response.

The opposite of what I understood was legal.

It was my understanding that modules, diodes, drivers, and other such "pieces" were legal. However, whole lasers were not. The fact that they jumped ship after already giving me a price on a full laser, confuses me entirely...

Thoughts???
 





I suppose it was only a matter of time, same with laserglow. If I recall, the current/recent CNI GB ran into this problem too; they weren't sure if CNI would ship full lasers, and they thought they would have to get them in parts. This really sucks though, cause now I can't ever get a PGL-III-C 589....hopefully this is only temporary.

Side note, mind PM'ing me the prices of those dual wavelength handhelds? I have asked a few times, but I seldom get replies from CNI
 
It's never been legal, its just becoming more of a problem, so they're taking a more active approach on it. The CFRs have always stated a Surveying, Leveling, and Alignment (SLA) laser, or a laser for pointing purposes cannot exceed 4.9mW of power measured by emission. A lot of countries are just finally getting pro-active about it. what it really comes down to is what you consider an SLA laser. which is pretty much now described as "any laser that is portable and battery operated that can be exposed to the public, either intentionally or unintentionally in any way shape or form. period.
 
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maybe some of the feds figured they could lessen the import of these by simply getting the companies to agree not to. wonder if it took a bribe. same with laserglow. hope laserbtb and jetlasers do not follow suite
 
Maybe we could get someone in a different country to serve as a go between?
 
That could be a smart idea....

But wouldn't CNI maybe start to get suspicious after awhile? Someone ordering so much lasers every day/week/month might raise a red flag.
 
As long as CNI isn't doing the exporting to America, I am sure they will just be glad to have that business again. We may be a small part of their overall sales, but I am sure they don't enjoy having to stop selling their most expensive handhelds to Americans. And Australians. And New Zealanders.

Ya feel me?
 
CNI's website is now citing 21 CFR 1040.11(b) as the reason.

bloompyle: Ask them whether you can purchase these portable modules as lab modules for scientific research. The FDA law prohibits these portable units from being sold as laser pointers -- which they should not be -- however, if they're sold as and marketed as scientific instruments, you may be able to purchase them. Maybe CNI sells these lasers specifically as equipment to ensure that the FDA doesn't get on them.
 
I am with you wannaburnstuff. CNI are in business to make money and if there is a way around it I am sure they will be more than happy to keep selling to us all.
In saying that though it is not easy getting a laser pointer shipped into Australia, some do get through, some don't. Would be really unhappy to have a $700 CNI 589nm confiscated by customs!
 
Here is the list of FDA red-listed laser exporters. These are exporters (thanks Steve001!) who receive extra scrutiny because they are known for selling illegal laser pointers.

CNI does not want to on that list for selling a few lasers "on the side" to a bunch of hobbiests for some additional chump change. They're a well established company with a lot more to lose than they ever gain selling a few lasers here and there to people on a laser forum.

So unless someone is going to buy a metric assload of lasers to make it worth their time and risk, I doubt they're going to risk it. Maybe not even then.
 
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^Agreed

I will be in France this summer. If anyone purchases a CNI laser around that time, I can be an extra set of hands :)
 
Bionic-Badger said:
Here is the list of FDA red-listed laser importers. These are importers who receive extra scrutiny because they are known for selling illegal laser pointers.

CNI does not want to on that list for selling a few lasers "on the side" to a bunch of hobbiests for some additional chump change. They're a well established company with a lot more to lose than they ever gain selling a few lasers here and there to people on a laser forum.

So unless someone is going to buy a metric assload of lasers to make it worth their time and risk, I doubt they're going to risk it. Maybe not even then.
Click to expand...

Just to clear some confusion, that's a list of exporters. Someone that buys a laser from a foreign company is the importer which does include its own set of problems.
 
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Not surprising, seems to be the direction the laser stuff has been going. After all, for close to 10 years now, very powerful lasers were available while the authority looked the other way, despite the law which wasn't often enforced.

I swear some laser dealers, wicked included, are trying to get these things outlawed entirely. For example Wicked dont have any offerings < 1/2 watt, which I found absurd.

If you decide to extract laser diodes from DVD drives they appear to be making this slightly more difficult also - strange diodes that are difficult to mount in optical housings.

Must have been a lot of people raising hell with powerful and portable lasers for this reaction. :( Tis unfortunate as I don't think a fraction of a watt of light amounts to much, at least when projected greater > 50 meters.
 
Someone from outside the US (preferrably a country without/with avoidable import taxes) should really restart the 589nm GB. I'd still really like to get that laser...
 
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